Israeli Embassy in US holds Independence Day event at DC’s National Portrait Gallery

The Israeli Embassy in the US held its annual Independence Day celebration at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington last night, with hundreds in attendance, including senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration, members of Congress and Jewish community leaders.

“The first Independence Day event in 12 years with no Israeli hostages in Gaza, the ceremony marked a return to life and joy, and a realization of the slogan ‘We will dance again,’ the embassy says in a statement.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright delivered the keynote address, speaking about the strength of the Israel–US relationship and the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries.

“Israel’s strength as an economic and technological powerhouse reflects the power of innovation, resilience and freedom. The United States looks forward to further advancing energy security, prosperity, and opportunity alongside our closest ally in the region,” Wright said.

Also sharing remarks were Jewish Democratic congressmen Josh Gottheimer and Jared Moskowitz, who stressed the importance of keeping the US-Israel relationship a bipartisan issue.

“We should feel proud of the US-Israel relationship, of the independence, of what it’s done for America, of the bipartisan nature, historically, of the relationship,” Gottheimer said, “Thank God we have Israel to help us fight terror, to stand for freedom and to stand for democracy.”

In his remarks, US Ambassador to Israel Yechiel Leiter said, “On my chest tonight, I see two flags with stars aligning for good: America and Israel. Three generations ago, who could have imagined a sovereign Jewish state allied so closely with the great United States?”

“Who could have imagined Israeli and American pilots flying wing to wing—uniting good with good—to defeat evil?” he added, referring to the military cooperation seen throughout the US-Israeli war against Iran.